Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychussaularis)

Taxonomy

French:Shama dayalGerman:DajalschamaSpanish:Shama oriental

Taxonomy:

Gracula Saularis

Linnaeus

, 1758,

Bengal, India

.

Until recently considered conspecific with C. mindanensis. Races fall into “saularis group” (with ceylonensis, andamanensis and musicus; white belly, white in tail) and “amoenus group” (remaining races; black belly, white in tail, with a few exceptions); latter very distinctive based on one major character difference, forming (in places fairly narrow) hybrid zones with musicus diagonally across C Java and in N–S line from W Sabah to Banjarmasin, Borneo (musicus judged to be a relatively recent invader steadily swamping the black-bellied forms#R); further research into taxonomic status of amoenus group needed, but there is some evidence of genetic differentiation#R. Described race problematicus from Borneo is an intergrade between musicus and pluto. Several other named races are poorly differentiated or part of clinal variation, or based on very small sample sizes: erimelas (NE India E to Indochina, and SW Guangxi, in China)#R and prosthopellus (China and Hainan) synonymized with nominate, and zacnecus (Simeulue I), nesiarchus (Nias I), masculus (Batu Is), pagiensis (Mentawai) and javensis (W Java) with musicus. Seven subspecies recognized.

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Muscicapidae

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In past, traditionally treated as an outsize family that also included expanded versions of Sylviidae, Timaliidae and Turdidae; these three were subsequently split off as three separate families, but still in much expanded form as compared to their current treatment. Since publication of HBW, limits of all these families have been dramatically rewritten due to a barrage of occasionally contradictory molecular data. Within present family problems remain, particularly due to incomplete taxon sampling, but near-complete screening to species level has now been attempted for at least a handful of genera (notably Oenanthe and Saxicola), and large elements of consensus have emerged, among them the recognition of four principal lineages, here treated as subfamilies. Most notable development involves transfer of many genera from Turdidae to present family, including Alethe, Cichladusa, Heteroxenicus, Brachypteryx, Heinrichia, Myophonus, Monticola, Thamnolaea, Myrmecocichla, Pogonocichla, Swynnertonia, Stiphrornis, Sheppardia, Cossypha, Xenocopsychus, Irania, Luscinia, Erithacus, Tarsiger, Cercotrichas, Copsychus, Phoenicurus, Saxicola and Oenanthe. Genetic sampling has also revealed extensive paraphyly, with the result that many species have switched genera. Some genera have disappeared completely into synonymy (e.g. Erythropygia), and others have shrunk to just one or two species (e.g. Luscinia), while a few have become substantially larger (e.g. Cercotrichas, Oenanthe).

Subfamily: Muscicapinae

Tribe: Copsychini

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All members traditionally treated in Turdidae, where often placed in Saxicolini.

Genus:Copsychus Wagler, 1827

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Limits redrawn due to extensive molecular evidence, which shows that species traditionally included herein are paraphyletic in relation to Trichixos#R#R#R. Alternative arrangements would involve lumping Trichixos and Kittacincla within Saxicoloides, or importing all three to present genus.